Guard for protection against holdup-robbers and the like



L. SIMMONS.

GUARD FOR PROTECTION AGAINST HOLDUP BOBBERS AND THE LIKE; APPLICATION FILE-D JULY B11920.

1,374,770. Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

V INVEN TOR.

Z [0 5/MMO/Y6 BY ATTORNEY.

L. SIMMONS.

GUARD FOR PROTECTION AGAINST HOLDUP ROBBERS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8,1920.

1,374,770. 5 Patented Apr-12,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I gwvznioc L. SIMMONS. GUARD FOR PROTECTION AGAINST HOLDUP- ROBBERS AND THE LIKE.

' Patented Apr. 12,1921Q 3 SHEETSSHEET 3- INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY.

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I GUARD FOR PROTECTION AGAINST HQIJDUP-ROBBERS AND THE LIKE.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Pate t d A 12 3%21 application filed July 8, 1920. Serial Ito. 394,721.

To all whom it my concern:

Be it known that I, LE0 SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useiul Improvements in and Relatin to Guards for Protection Against I-IoIdup- Robbers and'the like, of which the following is a specification.

his invention relates tocertain improvements in and relating to guards for protection against robbers, particularly those of the so-called hold-up type; and the objects and nature of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I now believe to bethe preferred mechanical expression or embodiment of my invention from among other forms, constructions and arrangements within the spirit and scope thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a guard for the protection of a watchman or'of a bank teller, clerk or counting house,

. mail, express, store, or hotel employee,

which is capable of easy horizontal rotation by the hand or arm of the occupant, preferably the arm of the hand carrying a suitable oflensiveweapon, and to provide the guard with suitable means for supporting the freely rotatable guard in an elevated position to afiord the occupant thereof unobstructed view and shooting range from above the level of the heads of persons in the inclosure protected by the guard, and

. to render the guard quickly and easily ac-,

cessible to the employee to occupy the same from the floor, should a hold-uprobber tray his presence inthe room or other inclosures protected by the guard, and preferably to provide a non-rotary floor or support for the occupant of the guard.

With these and other objects in view the invention iconsists in certain novel features of construction, and in combinations and arrangements as more fully and particularly set forth and specified hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawin s igure 1, shows in perspective, a guard embodying my invention, included in the partition and counter of any suitable room or inclosure, such as a banklng or other room where money, securities or other valuables are usually accessible during business hours.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the counter or partitionand the guard and its support.

Flg. 3 is a horizontalsection taken in the plane of the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of certain details.

In the particular example illustrated, I show the partition 1 and counter 2 of any 'room or other inclosure wherein valuables partition as well as onpersons behind the such as money, securities, precious stones,

partition, with the guard support or base, 7

included in the partition and counter, and so constructed and arranged as to render the guard readily and quickly accessible to the employee behind the counter adjacent to the guardywhile said support and the guardv are closed against entrance of persons from floor 3, in frontof the partition and counter.

In this example, I show a hollow upright metal base suitably fixed to and erected on the floor in the line of the partition so as to be included therein and also set back in the counter and rising above the level thereof. This base can be composed of metal uprights 4" to which metal plates 4 are secured to complete the break in the A partition and to close the base from the front. To the rear of the line of the partition, and usually, below the level of the counter, the base is entirely open.

Any suitable freely rotatable cap or ard 5 is-mounted on and rises from this base. In the example illustrated, the upper ends of the base. uprights 4 support and are fixedly secured to a rigid orizontal annulus or ring 4 carrying grooved rollers port the guard and render deflected laterally to project under said ring and thereby prevent displacement of the guard from the base. The plates 4 of the base can, if sodesired, project upwardlyaround the ring 4 to shield the same and the arms 5 r The guard 5 is preferably in the form of a more or less strongly constructed bullet proof (although not necessarily so) shell having top 5 and surrounding wall 5 and open at the bottom within the track ring 5. This shell forms a unitary structure that is freely rotatable, as such, on the rollers or any other turntable or pivot supportthat may be provided therefor;

he surrounding wall more or less bullet that the occupant of the guard can more. or less freely observe the persons on the floor within the room where the guard is located. The guard can be variously formed and constructed so as not to interfere with the view and vision of the occupant, although in the specific example illustrated, I show the guard formed .with surrounding side windows closed by approximately bullet proof transparent walls or plates 5.

The vertical or surrounding wall 5 of the 5 is preferably rotary cap or guard 5 is provided with a radial arm hole 5 for the occupant, and the guard is provided with an exteriorprojecting hand or' arm rest 5 in approximate outward and downward continuation of said opening and in the form of a rojecting approximately bullet proof rigid trough and of the occupant that carries a fire arm or other means for liquid, gas or projectile for disabling the robber.

The occupant of the guard-can project his hand or arm through the opening and into the guard and thereby quickly and easily rotate the guard in either direction, to di-- depending proof, and so formedsecured to the cap or guard to receive the hollow base, a

projecting a protecting and freely rotatable,

For instance, I show horizontal floor 6 suitably mounted in the base a distance below the rotary guard, and if so desired, this floor can completely span the interior of the base and be'formed by a fixed floor section having a vertical man hole normally closed by an upwardly swingable floor section or't-rap door 6*. By this arrangement, the employee can move up through the man hole, elevating the hinged floor section, which drops down to close the manhole, when the employee steps onto the fixed portion of the floor. 3

If the elevation of the floor 6, 6, is such as to render it inconvenient for the employee to quickly climb through the manhole, I can provide any suitable step or intermediate support within the hollow base, on' which the employee can .stand and from which elevated position, be can easily pass through the manhole onto the fixed oor 6. For instance, I show step 7 supported by and fixed in the base for this purpose.

It will be noted that the inner side of the base is entirely open under the. counter 2, so that an employee, behind the counter,

the instant hebecomes suspicious that a hold up is planned, can drop under the counter and easilyand quickly enter the hollow base and climb to the floor 6 andoccupy the rotary guard. This guard and its base can be erected and located, at any situation where valuables, money, securities,

express matter, or mail, are likely to be present and hence subject to attack.

It is evident that various changes, modifications and variations might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact disclosures hereof.

What I claim is 1. A protecting guard embodying a fixed guard mounted thereon and consisting of an open-bottom freely horizontally-rotatable cap, a supporting floor secured in said base adjacent the open-bottom of said guard and normally closing the interior pf said base from the guard, and means permitting passage through said floor from the base into the guard.

2. protecting guard embodying a vertical hollow supporting base having a side entrance opening and an occupant supporting floor above said opening, and a freelyrotatable guard cap mounted on said base and accessible from said floor.

3. An elevated freely-horizontally rotatable guard having an arm opening therethrough and an exterior arm rest extending from said opening, in combination with a fixed base on which the guard is mounted. said base providing a support for an occupant of the guard whereby the said guard. is rotatable by the actupant extending an arm through said opening and onto said exterior rest and turning the same.

of the guard within and supported on said hand rest on the exterior of the guard.

5. A hollow stationary base provided with an elevated fixed floor or support adjacent the upper end thereof, in combination with a freely rotatable observation guard mounted on said base above said fixed floor or support and adapted to be freely rotated by the hand or arm of the occupant while standing on said support.

6. A hollow fixed base included in a counter or partition and open at the rear and having an elevated floor or other support above said counter or partition and freely accessible through said rear opening, and an observation and offensive guard freely rotatable on said base by the occupant located on said floor or support. v

7. A hollow fixed base included in a counter or partition and having an elevated floor or other support above-said counter or partition and an observation and offensive guard on said base above said floor or support and freely rotatable thereon.

8. A hollow fixed base included in a counter or partition and having an elevated floor above said counter or partition, an observation and offensive guard rotatably mounted on said base above said floor, and means in said floor to permit passage therethrough from the interior of said base to said guard thereabove.

9. A hollow fixed base included in a counter or partition, an occupant supporting floor at the upper end of said base above said counter or partition, an observation and offensive guard rotatably mounted on said base above said supporting floor, an upwardly opening door to permit passage of the occupant from the interior of said base into said guard and adapted to be closed against entrance to said guard when occupied, and said guard adapted to be freely rotated by the hand or arm of the occupant.

10. The combination with a counter or partition, of a hollow vertically disposed base extending upwardly therefrom and having a side entrance accessible from beneath said counter or partition, and an observation and offensive guard rotatably mounted on said base above said counter or partition, said base provided with means for closing said guard against entrance therefrom.

11. A hollow fixed base included in a counter or partition, an elevated support mounted in said base above said counter or partition, an observation and offensive guard r0- tatably mounted on said base above said floor said guard provided'with a side arm opening therethrough, and an exterior hand rest extending fromsaid opening and form offensive guard mounted and freely rotatable on said base upon the counter or partition, said guard accessible from said base and providing means from which the space around said partition or counter may be observed to prevent attack thereupon.

13. A protecting guard comprising a hollow fixed base, a floor or supportat the upper end of said base, an observation and offensive guard rotatably mounted on said guard above said floor or support, and a door in said floor through which access is had to and from the interior of said guard.

LEO SIMMONS.- 

